Category: Kujibiki Tokushou: Musou Harem-ken

At noon, after completing my quota of mountain ox hunting, I was sitting in my room in the mansion looking at my fan.

　Princess Helene’s fan. The fan I’ve had on my belt ever since I received it.

(What is that? )

The magic sword asked in my head.

At first, she was very insistent on letting go of me, but after the raffle, I don’t know what she was thinking, but she didn’t say that much anymore.

「It was given to me when I saved someone’s life.」

（Love at first sight, huh.）

「Uuuu」

I was at a loss for words. That may be so.

From the first glance, I was struck by her beauty.

She has long blond hair, a gentle manner, and a graceful demeanor.

A person who is like a「princess」in every way.

「I hope she’s okay.」

（Are you worried about her? Then why don’t you go see her? Using the feather.)

「I don’t know where she is.」

I took out my feather and tried to warp to Princess Helene’s location, just to be sure, but it just did nothing.

Maybe I need to decide on a clear「location」.

「Master.」

I heard a knock at the door and Miu’s voice.

「What’s the matter?」

「Please excuse me. Uh, the master has a visitor.」

「Guest? What kind of person?」

「Um…… princess?　I think she is?」

「Eeeeh」

My heart raced.

A princess? No way.

I snatched the magic sword and walked out of the room. Miu said as she rushed behind me.

「I’ve taken them into the parlour.」

I walked quickly to the parlour.

When I went inside.

「Ah……」

I couldn’t help but shout out.

It was not Princess Helene there.

It was her sister, Iris Teresa Mercouri, Princess Iris.

I was a little disappointed ── though.

「Kakeru.」

That was blown away when he saw the troubled expression on Princess Iris’ face.

「I need you to go help my sister.」

As soon as I sat down on the sofa, Princess Iris said something like that to me.

「By “sister,” you mean Princess Helene?　What’s going on?」

「She’s on the front lines now.」

「Aah, I think she said something about a consolation trip.」

It reminded me of the time I saved Princess Helene.

「Yes, the battle to defeat the barbarians, the front lines. Since most of the area had been pacified, someone from the royal family was supposed to go there to offer comfort and take care of things after the war. That’s why my sister went there……」

「But?」

「The local commander has defected to the barbarians. That turned the whole affair on its head.」

「Defected, then what about Princess Helene?」

「Her guardian knight, Fotis, sensed something was wrong just in time and helped her escape. Right now, it seems that a small army is holed up in a nearby fortress – I want you to go there.」

「Me?」

「That’s right. Of course, we’ll send reinforcements, but they’re taking a while to organize. First, I need you to rescue my sister at least.」

The words “my sister at least” were sincere.

Reading between the lines, she wants to save Princess Helene even if it means leaving all the soldiers in the siege to die. I felt such a sense of urgency from Princess Iris.

Strong feelings, no doubt. So I felt a certain doubt.

「Are you sure?　Are you sure you want to do this? If you’ve just been betrayed, wouldn’t it be normal to ask for someone more trustworthy?」

「That fan.」

Princess Iris pointed to my waist. There is Princess Helene’s fan that she keeps close to her skin.

It’s my sister’s, isn’t it? When I first met Kakeru, and even now. You’ve kept that fan on your hip the whole time. Like it’s important. I figured that Kakeru would be the one.」

「I see.」

I touch the fan. Yes, this is important, and its owner ── Princess Helene ── is even more important.

If you ask me to help her, of course I will risk my life to do so.

That made sense, I thought.

「Besides」

「Un?」

I tilted my head in confusion and looked at Princess Iris.

Besides ── what?

Princess Iris looked straight at me.

With a straightened back and a face without hesitation.

「I can trust Kakeru.」

It took me by surprise. The look on her face was fearful.

When people look at me like that, I have no choice but to live up to their expectations.

I was on horseback.

Departing from the city of Roizen, I rode my horse as fast as I could to the next city, Reyus, where I changed to a new – fresh – horse that Princess Iris had arranged, went to the next city, and changed again to a fresh horse.

We changed horses one after another and headed at full speed for the fort in the Euboea region, where Princess Helene was said to be holed up.

At the town closest to the fort, I changed horses and got more maps.

And so I arrived at the fort.

It was small, a simple fort surrounded by a wooden fence.

（Smoke rising. Is it too late?)

The magic sword says in my head.

I strained my eyes. With my improved vision, I could see that the fort was under siege and under heavy attack.

I was relieved.

「Resistance is persisting. We’re just in time.」

(Oh, yeah.)

「I’m going to use you.」

I tighten my grip on the magic sword. She is a noisy weapon, but right now she is reliable.

(All right. In return, you’ll get to listen to one of my wishes later.）

「If you’re asking me to let you go or harm anyone, I won’t listen.」

I remind her.

（Fuuu. Use my power to the fullest.）

A black aura began to leak out from the blade of the magic sword.

Similar in appearance to when Mari’s body was taken over. Of course I haven’t been possessed.

But I can kind of understand. This one’s stronger now than before. She is getting stronger as a sword.

Grasping my magic sword, I dismounted from my horse and plunged into the enemy.

I ran in a straight line towards the gates of the fort.

The soldiers who saw me were confused, but I ignored them and proceeded to cut down anyone who got in my way.

After a shout of「enemy attack」, soldiers swarmed the area with obvious hostility.

「You small fry!　Get out of the way!」

I swing my magic sword and cut down anyone who comes at me.

Slash and slash and keep moving forward.

After slaying about a hundred of them, I reach the gate of the fort.

I saw a familiar face on the other side of the gate.

「Fotis!」

「You’re──!」

The knight who was there when I saved Princess Helene. Fotis was surprised by my appearance behind the gate.

I could feel the soldiers closing in on me from behind. I don’t have much room.

「Princess Iris asked me to come!　Open the gate for me.」

「Her Highness, Iris?　But…」

Fotis was unsure. He was questioning himself as to if it was really okay to open it.

「Kuuuu」

An enemy soldier attacked me from behind, so I turned around and cut him down.

I fought with the gate to my back.

This is the point where the most enemy soldiers originally swarmed. The intensity of the fight there is nothing compared to when I broke through the rear of the enemy.

The pressure of enemy soldiers surging in like a wave was incredible, no matter how hard I slashed.

Just when I thought I had no choice but to fight them until they were wiped out.

「Fotis」

It was a familiar voice. I didn’t need to look back to know who it belonged to.

Princess Helene. I was relieved to hear that she was okay.

However, Fotis was impatient.

「Your Highness! It’s not safe here. Please leave──」

「Open the gates.」

「But──」

「Open it.」

「……at your will.」

After the exchange, I heard the gate open.

「Come on, while you still can.」

「All right. OOoooooo！」

I held the magic sword in both hands and slammed it down – directly over my head – onto the ground.

The ground shook with the sound of an explosion. A large crater was made where I slammed into it.

The enemy soldiers lost their footing. They were confused by the crater and couldn’t proceed.

In the meantime, I entered the fort and the gates were safely closed.

There she was, Princess Helene.

「Princess Helene.」

「Kakeru-sama.」

We stare at each other for a moment.

「I’m here to save you.」

I said, putting all of my heart into it.

The princess smiled at me as if a large flower had bloomed.

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I couldn’t stay involved with the little girl (the magic sword) for long, so I turned to the lottery staff and pulled out the ten lottery tickets I had collected.

「Eleven times, please.」

But the staff member looked behind me with a troubled look on their face.

I remember earlier, they said they didn’t want me to bring someone who wasn’t involved.

「Uh, I’m sorry.」

I apologized for now.

「Is that a bad idea?」

「I’m fine as long as you can keep her quiet.」

「Oh, I think I can handle that.」

I remember what happened earlier. When this girl’s voice echoed in my brain, Fiona didn’t hear her.

I didn’t even hear her when she possessed Mari.

Maybe, but only the people who physically hold her can hear her.

I’ve been trying to hold on to her until I can figure out what’s going on with Mari.

I don’t think this girl is going to leak the information about this place anywhere.

「I’ll make sure not to tell anyone else.」

「I understand. Then I’ll take your lottery ticket.」

The staff member said so, took the lottery tickets and counted them.

「Yes, exactly ten. Then eleven times, please.」

「All right.」

I spun the lottery machine with enthusiasm.

Rattle, rattle, pop.

A black ball came out.

「Yes, a participation prize. Oh, please hold on to your balls.」

「”As is” means that this is…」

I looked at the prize list.

「Is it the magic ball (black) itself?」

「Yes. If you throw it at the person you want to attack, it will attack with the attribute that the person is weakest against.」

「That’s convenient, and a participation prize.」

「It’s disposable magic.」

「You treat it like a tissue.」

I took the ball and glanced behind me.

I saw a little girl who was tired of beating me and was coughing.

I kind of wondered what would happen if I threw this.

　…… I feel a little guilty when she is in that form, so let’s do it again when she is in her magic sword form.

「By the way, this one can be used by anyone and everyone. You might want to give it to someone for self-defense.」

「Mm-hmm. I think I’ll let Miu have it.」

I put the ball in my pocket and spin the lottery machine again.

Rattle, rattle, black balls.

Rattle, rattle, black balls.

Rattle, rattle, black balls.

The misses continued.

「It’s not easy to get a hit.」

「I’m sorry. But the most common prize is the participation prize……」

The staff chuckled apologetically. Well, that’s true.

Rattle, rattle, pop.

The fifth time, this time a white ball came out.

Clang, clang, clang, the handbell rings.

「Congratulations!　Fifth prize.」

「(White) magic ball, huh.」

「Yes. It’s a disposable item like the black one, but this one is for recovery. The usage is the same, and it’s safe to assume that the effect is about『if you’re not dead, you can usually get by』. 」

It’s kind of like an elixir. Let’s be careful not to be stingy and leave them unused.

I turn the lottery machine further.

Rattle, rattle, pop.

Rattle, rattle, pop.

Rattle, rattle, rattle…

The sixth through tenth times were all black balls.

「Hmm, bad luck?」

I take one last deep breath while holding the handle.

Heave, ho!　Just when I was about to turn it with all my might.

「Hey, what are you doing here?」

A young girl (a magic sword) came next to me and looked up at me.

「It’s a lottery.」

「Lottery?」

「Yes, you draw lots with this and get what you get.」

「The balls?」

「Usually it’s just balls, but if you’re lucky, you get something really cool.」

I looked at the prize list. Except for the bottom two, all of them are amazing to behold.

「That sounds like fun. Let me try.」

「You want to try?」

It’s the last one, so it’s okay.

But will it be okay?　I looked at the staff member.

「Fine, but you’ll have to decide who owns what.」

「All right.」

If it’s just one time, it’s probably a participation prize or fifth prize anyway, and there’ s nothing to lose.

「Now, hold this here and turn.」

I told the little girl (the magic sword), but she glared at me with a scowl.

「What’s wrong?」

「I can’t reach it.」

「Eh?」

「I can’t reach it. You can see that!」

The little girl raises her hands. She couldn’t reach the handle of the lottery machine that was pointing up.

「It can’t be helped.」

I put my hands under the little girl’s armpits and picked her up.

「na──」

This girl’s face turned red for some reason. I’m just carrying her.

It was a hassle, so I rushed her.

「Come on, come on, come on, come on, you’re so heavy, come on.」

「Don’t be stupid!　I”m not even heavy right now.」

「Yes, yes.」

I’ll just play along.

The little girl mumbled and turned the lottery machine.

Rattle, rattle, pop.

What came out… was a red ball!

「Congratulations!　Second prize.」

「Really?!」

I was surprised. I didn’t think I’d get a shot at it.

It reminded me of the time when I used to play social games, and I used all the stones I had and let my cat draw the last one.

The staff member took out the prize.

「Yes, this is the second prize, a warp feather. With this, you can jump to a place you’ve been once in an instant. By the way, this is not a consumable item, so it won’t disappear if you use it. Oh, please note that it will only work for the person who just accepted it.」

When I came back to the forest, it was already night.

In my left hand I hold a feather, and in my right hand I hold a magic sword that has returned to its original form.

I took out my warp feather.

As I recall, I can go anywhere I’ve been to once.

I took the feather, thought of the mansion, and used it.

Then, the scenery in front of me changed quickly.

It was as if I had changed the channel on the TV, and what I saw changed instantly.

The scenery switched to my house.

「…… Amazing!」

I knew warp was in theory, but it was amazing to actually try it.

I jumped to the Salamus Trading Company.

I jumped to the entrance of Loisane.

I jumped a little further away to the mountain ox hunting grounds.

The scenery changed one after another, and I was able to jump to exactly where I wanted.

Oh, man, this is awesome!

To be honest, this is far more powerful than 『all abilities multiplied by 777』, isn’t it?

No, it’s not that weak either. But there’s not much I can do about it.

But with this, I can do a lot with this.

I thought about what I could do with warp.

For example, you can do something like a merchant. Once you get to a remote city, you can earn money by transporting goods between the two cities.

I looked around. There was a rock a short distance away.

I used the warp feather. I moved behind a rock (from my point of view).

Can I move instantly behind my opponent when I’m fighting, like this?

In combination with skills, the number of things I could do increased dramatically.

The next day.

I used my warp feather to hunt mountain oxen, and as a result, I was able to hunt ten of them.

I’ve doubled my previous record in one fell swoop. The people at Andreu Trading Company were surprised.

「It’s not like he’s actually leading a mercenary group, is he? Because, you know, this is a job for a hundred people.」

So that day I was like, 「Warp, wow」, but the next day I realized that was a mistake.

Warp isn’t amazing.

The best part is the lottery tickets.

Let’s collect them!　More lottery tickets.

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（Who the hell are you?）

The magic sword asked. While I was picking up the lottery ticket, she was trying to do something to take over me.

But it’s not going well. That’s why she asked numbly, I guess.

「It’s Yuuki Yuuki Kakeru.」

（I didn’t ask for your name!　I’m asking you who you are. Why can’t I possess you?）

「Even if you’re asking, I’m not sure why. ……」

I wonder why.

（I’ve never met anyone that I couldn’t possess. Mu, bastard, the colour of your soul.）

「Eh?」

（What’s with the colour? You’re not just a normal human, are you?)

「I’m just a human being. ……」

Oh, maybe it’s not just a mere human. Maybe there is some difference between people from other worlds and that area.

（This color …… looks like the Supreme Lord Rodotos ……?　No, it’s more like ……)

The magic sword was mumbling something.

「Now, what am I supposed to do with you?」

（Mu?）

「Should I just smash and break it?　Hmm.」

（Don’t underestimate me, human.) There are ways to destroy you without taking over your body.）

「Eh.」

I was caught off guard, so I was surprised. I braced myself for what was to come.

Then the magic sword glowed. It shone with a dark – menacing – light.

The next thing I knew, it was bobbing up out of the ground.

Ghosts in robes, skeletons in armored armor, and moaning zombies.

Just like that.

（This is the army of my dead spirits that once laid waste to the Letoria Empire. Dead souls, kill this one! )

「Damn, I let my guard down.」

（AAa hahaahahahaha）

A high-pitched laugh echoed in my brain.

The army of dead spirits attacked us all at once.

I was going to hit her – but then I remembered she was in the palm of my hand.

A magic sword. She is the one who summoned these guys, but she is still a sword.

「……」

I swung the magic sword to test it out. I swung down at the skeleton that was rushing into the lead.

I cracked open the helmet and cut the skeleton in half from the skull.

「Whoa, that’s good.」

（What are you doing?　How dare you use me to attack my servant!）

I ignored the ranting and continued to wield my magic sword.

I catch the skeleton’s sword, and crush its bones.

I blow away the ghost’s magic and slash through the entire robe.

The …… bodily fluids were slightly disgusting, so I used fire magic to burn off the zombies from a distance.

　I killed the monsters that attacked me.

（Ignore what people are saying, if it’s …… then how about this!）

Right after I said something, the magic sword became heavier all at once. I almost dropped it.

With a blur, the magic sword slammed into the ground with the force of a kitchen knife dropping onto tofu.

（How’s that? Fuhaahahahahaha I can do this, too. I am now as heavy as a giant dragon.）

「Giant dragon?　What’s up with the law of conservation of mass and all that?」

I couldn’t help but question it on my mind…… It is not a line of dialogue that would be said unless it’s in a different world.

（What are you gonna do? You gonna keep your hands off me?　That’s fine then, isn’t it?　I’ll be taken from you by the army of the dead…）

「Fu~nu!」

I put all my strength into my waist and pulled out the magic sword as hard as I could.

It’s heavy, sure, but not to the point where it’s unmanageable.

I used centrifugal force to spin the magic sword around like a hammer thrower.

The Warriors are back!　The army of dead spirits is defeated again and again.

（That’s bullshit!　Why are you swinging me? Aren’t I heavy?）

「No, you’re heavy. You can see that.」

If it wasn’t heavy, I wouldn’t be swinging like this.

（Not to such a level!）

More ranting from the magic sword.

After crushing the skeleton that was closing in on me (I don’t know how many anymore), I saw something glowing through the bones that were lying on the ground.

I saw a familiar light – a lottery ticket.

I see… sometimes you get them even after killing monsters like this.

I’m feeling motivated. I picked up the pace and beat them.

By the time I had defeated all the monsters in her army, my back was drenched in sweat.

After I finished, I went around collecting the lottery tickets.

I’ve counted them since then, and they were dropping at a rate of roughly one every hundred creatures. I wonder what it is the percentage of the drops.

（Bastard, what are you doing?）

The magic sword asked.

「What do you mean, I’m picking up …… this?」

I flashed the lottery ticket while holding the magic sword.

There are no words. But I could feel in my head that the magic sword was in some distress.

…… Can’t you see it?

I wonder if this lottery ticket is invisible to anyone but me. I’ll ask her next time I go to the lottery.

But the 「next time」 came surprisingly quickly.

When I picked up all the lottery tickets, I had exactly ten, including the previous ones.

There are ten lottery tickets, and with these, I can play eleven times.

I decided to go ahead and spin it as soon as possible.

How do I get there, or do I just walk around randomly?

I want to go there, I thought in my head as I walked around the forest at random with my magic sword.

Suddenly, I noticed that the scenery had changed completely.

Before I knew it, I had come to that room from the dimly lit forest.

The lottery room, staffed properly.

So this is how I can come here.

I went to the staff member …… and went to the lottery machine.

「Hey, I’m here for the lottery.」

「Sir, I don’t like it when you bring in people who have nothing to do with us.」

I don’t know why the staff member said that and looked at me with a frown.

「Eh? Someone who doesn’t belong?　I don’t have anyone with me.」

「So who’s that over there?」

The staff member points behind me.

I turned around and saw a little girl there.

She was a young girl, about five years old, in a dress, and she was staring at her palms with a surprised look on her face.

「This is what I looked like when I was a human being at …….」

「I?」

The first person pronoun and tone of voice sounded familiar. Could it be that, that is this little girl…?

I don’t know how it happened, but I can handle this. You’re dead!」

The little girl rushed …… at me, but I calmly stopped her.

I stick out your hand and hold her head down.

The little girl did the …… spoilt brat punch.

A cute and adorable childish punch that looks too perfect to be scary.

A childish punch that doesn’t hit, a little girl with tears in her eyes.

The little girl jumped away.

「Damn!　It’s no wonder I haven’t had a physical body in hundreds of years. But now, without me as a sword, you can be defeated by the spirits of the dead.」

「Mu」

「Come forth!　Army of the Dead.」

She thrust her hand up. I braced myself.

The scene.

Nothing happened.

「Why?!　Why isn’t anything coming out?!」

「……」

I lower your guard. I kind of get it.

No, I don’t know why she’ s in this shape, but I know that she can’t do anything about it now.

So, I put it off.

「Excuse me, I’ve got ten tickets, let me draw lots.」

「Don’t ignore me every time, naaaaaaa」

She slapped me from behind.

pokapoka, pokapoka

Damn, isn’t she cute? I feel like turning around and patting her on the head.

I felt the most menace so far.

Previous|TOC|Next

I let the poster girl of the diner wait outside and faced Miu at the entrance.

「Okay, Miu, you stay here.」

「Yes. Goodbye, master.」

「Aaaah」

I turn around and try to head out.

「Aaaahh……」

「Nn?」

I heard Miu’s voice and turned around.

「What’s the matter?」

「U,uun. It’s that.」

「Un」

「That……」

「What is it?」

「Have a good trip.」

「Yeah, I’m off.」

Miu saw me off and I went out.

I stop. That reminds me of something.

I hurried back and entered the mansion.

「Miu!」

「Hyah!」

Miu’s voice faltered when she was called out as she was about to enter the back of the house.

「What’s the matter, Master?」

「Fluffing. There you go, Fluffying.」

「Aaah……」

Miu’s eyes glistened. But she looks a little embarrassed and dejected.

I pull back and hug her.

Fluffy, fluffy, fluffy.

As I fluffed her, I saw Miu’s tail wagging as I fluffed her to make up for the lost welcome home fluff. She was so cute and adorable.

「Okay, I’ll go this time.」

「Yes!　Have a good day.」

☆

I walk alongside Fiona, the girl who runs the diner, Pross Restaurant.

We left the city and walked down the street with her leading the way.

「So, what do you mean you want my help?」

「I need you to help my sister.」

「Your sister, huh? If you’ve come to me with a referral from someone who said I’m good at what I do, then I’m guessing it’s something I can solve with my skills.」

「Probably ……」

「Probably?」

Fiona’s teeth were clenched.

I feel like I’m not getting anywhere with the conversation right now.

But it seems that she really wants my help.

Fiona was very agitated, unlike when she was in the store. She was walking so fast that she looked like she was going to leave me behind if I wasn’t careful.

So I didn’t ask any questions and followed Fiona.

「They’ve got my sister.」

We walked for a while, and halfway through we left the road and entered a forest where there seemed to be nothing but animal paths.

I saw a small cave deep in the forest.

The moment I saw it, I could see what looked like stagnant air leaking from the cave.

「What is that?　Is that smoke?」

「Where’s the smoke?」

「There.」

Pointing to the entrance of the cave. Fiona looked there for a moment, then looked at me anxiously.

「I don’t see any smoke. ……」

「Huh?　Then that’s …….」

I was about to say something, but then I realized.

The air was so stale that I felt a chill when I touched it.

A feeling very similar to the one I felt when I fought the ghost at the mansion.

「You know, like a ghost or something.」

「You can see it!」

Fiona shouted loudly.

「If it’s there, that means there’s something in it that’s giving off some kind of demonic energy, right?」

「Yes…….」

Fiona nodded and headed for the cave.

I went with her. After a few steps, the inside of the cave came into full view.

It was a cave, but if you looked closely, you would see that it was just a small cave with a few meters of space in the back.

It just looked like a deep cave because I couldn’t see the depths because of the specter that was floating around earlier.

At the back of the cave, by the wall, a girl is sitting.

She is a little older than Miu and a little younger than Fiona.

Her well-formed face is very similar to Fiona’s.

「This girl, Fiona’s ……?」

「This is my sister, Mari.」

So, I guessed. They have very similar facial features, so much so that anyone who sees them would say they are sisters.

「Onee-chan」

When Mari noticed us, she looked up and called out for Fiona in a voice that was almost a scream.

Her voice is faint and she can’t stand up.

She looked so sad that I could see the tears drying on her face, but she only called out for Fiona and showed no sign of moving further.

As one would expect, this is strange. I took another good look at Mari.

Then I saw that she was holding something in her arms.

「A stick ……?　No, that cut there, that length of …… sword?」

「Yes, Mari is possessed by it.」

「Possessed by…… unearthly…… magic sword」

「Yes.」

「How did that happen again?」

「I don’t know. Mari usually plays in this forest a lot, but she didn’t come back the night before last, so I came looking for her and …… found her in this mess. And this cave, there shouldn’t have been anything like it here before.」

「The day before yesterday. …… It’s been quite a while.」

No wonder her voice is hoarse.

「Mari, are you stuck?」

「Yes…….」

She replied in a weak tone.

「…… She has dark circles under her eyes. It’s not just lack of sleep, is it?」

I can only imagine how bad it would be if she had a magic sword in her hand and her face was all shabby.

I had a general idea of what was going on.

「So, what do I do?」

「After this happened, I asked for help from the people at Andreu Trading Company, who are always there for me. Then he told me that I should take the sword away from her. But everyone I talked to in town said they might be able to take her out, but they couldn’t just take the sword without hurting Mari.」

「So that’s why they introduced me to you.」

Fiona, then looks at Mari.

Fiona was already half in tears. Mari was so exhausted that even her tears seemed to have dried up.

A girl possessed by a magical sword. I’ve got to do something soon.

「Fiona, stay outside.」

「Well, it’s just…」

「Just take the sword away without wounding her, right?」

「Uh, yeah.」

「I’ll figure it out.」

Fiona nodded vigorously and walked out of the cave.

Mari and I faced each other alone.

The other party didn’t move. She sat with her back against the wall, holding her sword and not moving.

I took a step forward.

Clang.

Mari drew her sword and slashed at me with a reaction speed that was very unlike a girl.

I react and dodge. Mari slashed at me even more.

Sharp slashes flew from all directions.

I watch closely and dodge. There was no way to avoid the specter that leaked from the sword, and it stung my skin.

　Just when I thought I was going to fight back….

「Ouch …… my arm …… hurts!」

「Mari!」

Mari groaned in pain. Hearing this, Fiona shouted from outside the cave.

「I’m not sure what her limit is. Tsk.」

I couldn’t let it go on much longer, in fact, I didn’t even want to move any further.

Then…I hit her before she moved.

Once there, she stepped back significantly then closed the distance.

I step into the ground with my dominant foot and conserve my strength.

（With all my might.）

For the first time since I arrived in the other world, I went into it with all my might.

I felt like I had busted through a wall of air. Specter-Mari is not able to react.

I closed the distance in an instant and snatched it before the sword could react.

I took it from Mari’s hands.

「All right!」

The heist was a success.

（eh?）

I heard a voice. It was a voice that seemed to echo directly in my brain.

　I saw the magic sword. I can feel it throbbing where I’m holding it, as if it’s pulsating.

Maybe it’s her voice.

I thought for a moment about what I should do. I was just thinking about how dangerous it would be to hold on to a magical sword like this …… when I heard the voice again.

（Then let me possess you.）

「Wait a minute.」

I tried to stop her, but her high-pitched laugh echoed in my mind.

It’s like she did something to me, something I didn’t even know how to stop.

Nothing happened, though.

（What?　Why, why, why can’t I possess you? !）

The voice of the magical sword echoed. She sounds impatient.

She did something a few times after that, but there was no change at all on my part, and the voice of the magical sword was getting more and more impatient.

I don’t know why, but it means she can’t make me like Mari.

「Okay, then let’s just leave it.」

I decided to do so and looked at Fiona while holding the sword.

Fiona walked into the cave, I took the magical sword, and then went straight to pick up the unconscious Mari.

「How are you doing, are you okay?」

「Yes, probably. ……」

I peered into Mari’s face. She’ s unconscious and looking a little worse for wear, but her breathing is regular and Fiona is right, she probably looks fine.

「I’ll take you to see a doctor when we get back to the city, just in case.」

「Yeah.」

Fiona picked Mari up and looked at me.

I feel like I’m going to cry again, but this time – I’m sure it’s happy tears.

「Thank you so much!　Thanks to Kakeru, Mari is now …… Mari ……」

「No, we’ll get to that later. Fiona, take Mari to the doctor.」

「Eh? And Kakeru?」

「I’ll deal with her first.」

I said, and showed her the magical sword.

Fiona said she understood, thanked me further and repeatedly, and then left the cave ahead of me with Mari in her arms.

With the magic sword in my hand, I look around the cave, wondering what I should do with it.

I might as well just smash it and break it.

As I was thinking about this, I saw something glowing where Mari had been sitting.

As I got closer, I saw a lottery ticket on the ground.

I pick it up. Now I have two tickets.

Previous|TOC|Next

It’s good that I have …… expectations, but what does this mean?

At any rate, I grabbed the lottery ticket and tried to remind myself.

「……」

The lottery ticket was crumpled.

I looked around in a panic. Nothing happened to me.

「What am I supposed to do with this?　Am I mistaken?　Is it just a piece of paper?」

　It’s really embarrassing, but …….

My embarrassment was growing larger and larger, and I felt like if I had a hole, I would crawl into it.

Well, I guess it’s fortunate that no one has seen me. ……

I decided to leave the area. I went back the way I came from and turned the corner to go back to my room and take a nap.

At that moment.

「…… where am I?」

The scenery in front of me changed completely.

I was supposed to be in the hallway of the mansion, but suddenly I was sent to some room.

There was a long table in the room, with a person standing across it.

And there was a lottery machine on the table.

「Welcome.」

「Is that it?!」

I couldn’t help but gasp out loud.

It’s the same room I was in. This is the room where I drew the special lottery right before I came to the other world.

In addition to that, the staff member is the same person.

「It’s been a while.」

「Here.」

I held out the lottery ticket I had picked up.

「I can draw the lottery with this, can’t I?」

「Yes, you can draw once with one of these. But are you sure you want to do that?」

「What’s wrong with that?」

「No, there’s nothing wrong with that.」

「Hmm.」

It didn’t look like they were lying to me, so I decided not to worry about it.

Instead, I looked at the list of prizes behind the staff member.

・Participation Prize: Magic Ball (black)

・Fifth Prize: Magic Ball (white)

・Fourth Prize: 50% Discount Shopping Coupon

・Third Prize: Interdimensional Warehouse.

・Second Prize: Warp Feather.

・First Prize: ???

The prizes are quite different than when I first drew. The list of things like spa trips and the latest smartphones is very otherworldly.

The staff member noticed that I was looking and asked me about it.

「Do I need to explain the giveaway?」

「I can sort of understand half of it, but what are these magic balls (black) and magic balls (white) all about?」

「Black is for attack, white is for recovery. Both of them can be activated by throwing them at your target when you want to use them.

「Huh.」

「And it can be used by anyone.」

「Seriously?」

I was kind of hoping for that. Even the black one from the participation award can be used for self-defense if you give it to Miu.

「What about the 50% off coupon?」

「Literally, you can buy anything you want at a 50% discount. And it’s unlimited use!」

「That’s awesome.」

「However, please note that this can only be used by the person who has drawn it.」

「All right, what about the interdimensional warehouse?」

「It’s a storage space in another dimension, again only available to you, but you can access your items from anywhere.」

「What about the warp feather?」

「Unlimited instantaneous movement. But only if you’ve been there once.」

The staff member explained to me.

All of these items are strong and exciting to behold.

But there was something more exciting.

First prize 「???」 . Seeing this, I remembered something.

「And, the first prize…」

「I’m sorry, you’ll have to draw it and see…」

「No, that’s not quite what I ment. Maybe there’s a special prize here, too?」

「How do you know that?　You’re the one who came here after the person who won the first prize, aren’t you?」

「Yeah.」

I nodded.

That’s right. At the lottery in that shopping mall, someone won the first prize ahead of me, and then I won the special prize.

The first prize at that time was the same as this one, but it was hidden in the list of prizes with 「???」in the prize list.

And the first prize was a single draw lottery, while I, the special prize winner, could draw as many times as I wanted until I found something I liked.

In other words.

「There’s first prize, and then there’s special prize. So you’re saying that special prize is even better than first prize.」

「Yes, I am!　That’s already amazing as is, so please go ahead and draw.」

「Yes.」

I was so excited. I’m really starting to look forward to seeing what I’ll get in the lottery over here.

So I went to pull out the lottery ticket.

「Are you sure you want to do this?」

He asked me the same thing again.

「You said the same thing earlier, what does that mean?」

「If you bring ten lottery tickets at once, you can draw eleven times. You get one more draw as a bonus.」

「I don’t remember lotteries having a system like that.」

I’ve heard a lot about gacha in social games.

「We do.」

「I see.」

I’m convinced. Well, it’s a similar thing, and it’s no surprise that such a bonus is provided.

　If that’s the case, it makes sense that he asked me if I was sure, and as they said there was nothing wrong with either choice.

I can still draw, but if I hold back now and bring it all together, I can draw an extra time, that’s….

「All right, I’ ll draw them together when I get all of them.」

「Yes, I understand.」

「So, how do I collect the lottery tickets?　Can I get them by shopping somewhere?」

「No, you can’t.」

The staff member chuckled.

「What are you going to do then?」

「Live in this other world as you wish, and I’m sure your intuition will tell you when you’re about to get it.」

「Intuition.」

「Yes, it’s a gut feeling.」

「I see.」

It was kind of vague, but I was still convinced.

I wondered ifI would feel the same way I did when I saw the lottery ticket earlier.

「All right, I’ll see you later.」

「Yes, I’ll be waiting.」

I left the lottery room and returned to the mansion.

I was standing in the middle of the hallway.

I was standing about around the corner – where I had accessed that lottery room.

I wonder if this is the transfer point.

Oh well, I’ll figure that out when I want to go back. From the way it looked earlier, I can go there anytime I want.

I walked down the hallway and turned back in the same direction I had followed the ghost.

「Ah, master.」

Miu came over to me. I want to fluffy her when I see her fluttering up to me.

Come to think of it, there was a ghostly commotion right after I got home, so I didn’t get to fluffy.

Anyway, I thought I’d give you a welcome home fluffying.

「Master has a guest.」

「Guest?　For me?」

「Yes. I’ll have her waiting at the enterance, what do you want me to do?」

「All right, the front entrance.」

I headed for the entrance.

I can think of only a handful of people who would come to visit me, but I wonder who they are.

When I arrived at the entrance, standing there was the girl who was the poster girl for the diner.

I know her, but I don’t know her personally.

I’m a little surprised.

The poster girl was also surprised.

「What are you doing here?」

「I came here because I heard that there is a man from Andreu Trading Company who is very skilled. …… Is that you, the customer?」

「Andreu Trading Company……, good at what they do, yeah, that’s me.」

Andreu Trading Company is the place that buys mountain oxen. It’s definitely me.

「…… please help me.」

She said.

Her eyes were clinging, expectant.

When she pointed her eyes at me, I flinched.

Oh, yeah, that’s it.

I unconsciously crumpled the lottery ticket in my pocket and secretly smoothed out the wrinkles again.

Previous|TOC|Next

The mansion fired more arrows at me. It flies straight at me without deviation.

I knock it all down.

I tried to enter the house, but Miu held on to me and wouldn’t let go.

Miu?」

She buried her face into me, refusing to let go.

She must be really scared.

「Then come with me.」

「……!」

She shuddered.

She looks up and looks at me. She’ s getting more and more teary-eyed.

An arrow of ice flew at me. I swat it away with a back fist.

When Miu saw this, she was greatly surprised.

Maybe she was too surprised, but the tears have stopped.

「Don’t worry, I’m here for you. I’ll protect Miu.」

Miu stared at my face for a while, then turned her head and said, “I’m not going to let go.”

「You’re not going to run away from …… without me, are you?」

「Hmm?　Are you asking me if I’m going to run off by myself?　If it gets dangerous.」

「…… Yes.」

「Well, that is not going to be the case. If it gets dangerous, I’ll carry Miu and run away.」

「Are you sure ……?」

Miu is still suspicious. Why does she worry so much about that?

「It’s true. I haven’t fluffied you enough yet.」

「Are you still going to do that?!」

Miu is astonished.

But somehow, the surprise was different from before.

Well, the subject is different, and it’s natural that it’s different if it was me rather than with a ghost.

Miu stared at me some more (knocking down two ice arrows in the process) and then nodded cautiously.

She releases her clinging arm and stands beside me.

She picks at the hem of her dress.

「Okay, here we go.」

「Yes.」

We walked into the house together.

As soon as I opened the door and walked in, the cold air hit me.

「Mmm, that’s…」

「What is it?」

「There, just a second ago, there was a figure on that corner.」

「Eeeeeeeeehh?!」

「Let’s go.」

「Yes. ……」

It was Miu who ended up getting teary-eyed.

With her in tow, I turned down the hallway.

This time I could see the shadow of a person more clearly.

「Maid, huh?」

「Eh?」

「Did you see that?　”Didn’t you see that person dressed up like some kind of maid?」

「I didn’t see it, did you?」

「……」

I’m going to chase it further. This one was faster, and I could see it for a longer time when I turned the next corner.

Our eyes met. She is indeed a maid and looks like a young girl.

「Miu, what was that?」

「I couldn’t see it…….」

She grabbed at her clothes and became increasingly frightened.

I can’t overlook this now. There must have been a few seconds between the time she made eye contact with me and the time she disappeared around the next corner.

「Then I am the only one who can see it.」

Muttering, I took Miu with me and chased after her.

I ran around the mansion. It’s a fairly large mansion, with stairs going up and down. I went out into the garden and back in again.

I repeated it.

Eventually, I cornered the ghost.

In the back of the first floor. A damp place with relatively little sunshine.

It was a small place with bedrooms, probably used by the maids and servants.

I cornered the ghost there.

I see it again. I knew it was a young girl in a maid’s uniform.

But she was so transparent that I could see the wall through her body, and her expression was very grim.

She felt like a ghost – and an evil one at that.

「──！」

The ghost jumped at me, making a strange noise that was hard to describe. I had been chasing it, and now it attacked me all at once.

「Just hold on!」

While lightly pulling Miu in towards me, I counter punched the ghost that jumped at me.

I don’t know how well it will work. So I got pretty serious.

I hit her with enough force to blow even a mountain ox several dozen meters.

But.

「What the hell?　Damn, that’s what expected!」

The punch slipped through the ghost’s body. I guess it means that physical attacks don’t work on her because she’s a ghost.

The ghost slipped away and flew backwards, but then stopped suddenly and jumped at me again.

This time, she sent out ice arrows around her body like satellites, and they flew together.

「Master!」

「It’s all right!」

I avoided the ghost’s charge while making sure to knock away the ice arrows. Now that I know it’s an astral body that punches can slip through, I don’t want to touch it carelessly.

What should I do?

Suddenly, I remembered something.

At the same time, the ghosts flew again.

Perhaps realizing that the arrows were ineffective, she now charged in alone.

That’s convenient. I can avoid the unnecessary elements.

I held up my hand and used fire magic.

The flames swirled around the tip of my palm and turned into a large ball.

「──」

That strange voice again. At the same time, the ghost’s complexion changed.

We passed each other and slammed our magic into each other.

We crossed paths and then turned around.

The ghost’s right shoulder was on fire.

「If it turns out to work.」

A smile crept onto my mouth.

「The rest is easy.」

I thrust my hand out in front of me and let loose with my magic.

「……」

The ghost disappeared. At the same time, the cold air that had filled the mansion disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

「It’s all over now.」

Just before she disappeared, I noticed that the ghost girl seemed to want to say something, but since there was no way to find out what it was, I decided to forget about it.

「Everything okay?」

I saw Miu still clutching the hem of her dress.

Miu looked up at me, her eyes glittering.

「…… Miu?」

「Master…… is amazing.」

「Yes?」

「I’m no longer afraid. …… Master is amazing.」

「Oh, well.」

I decided to dignify it for now. It felt good to see Miu’s sparkling eyes, her longing gaze, and I wouldn’t dare betray her.

「If anything happens, I’ll take care of it. I’ll get rid of them all.」

「Yes! 」

When I clarified, Miu’s longing gaze became even stronger.

Okay, okay, this is all good.

「Yes!　Work.」

「Yes?」

「I was in the middle of cleaning up…….」

「Oh, you were interrupted by a ghost. Then go do your job. I’m counting on you.」

「Yes!」

Miu nodded broadly, bowed, and scuttled away.

At the end of it, she felt a lingering sense of trust that I had left behind. I stayed there for a while, savoring it.

Just as I was about to leave the place after tasting it for a while, I thought.

I saw a piece of paper fall in the area where the ghost had fizzled out.

「Have I ever seen anything like that before?」

Wondering, I walk up to it and pick it up.

I looked at it closely. It’s something I’ve seen before.

「Lottery ticket…….?」

Yes, a lottery ticket. Something that you often get after shopping. And the thing that led me to come to this other world.

The more I looked at it, the more I realized it was a lottery ticket.

Why is there a lottery ticket in this place?

A lottery ticket – a lottery.

I had certain expectations.

Previous|TOC|Next

I tried various things with the mountain ox.

After catching it from the front, I carried it up and dropped it head first to the ground.

I dropped my hips deeply and countered with an unsuspecting fist strike.

Low kicks, high kicks, roundhouse kicks. I tried combinations like that.

　I tried lots of things. All of them were able to kill mountain oxen instantly.

As a result, I was able to secure the income of three mountain cows, but it didn’t fulfill my goal of learning how to use my power and use it well at all.

In the end, I feel like I’m relying more on my physical abilities, not my skills.

I felt like I could win by randomly messing around with strong characters.

That’s not interesting. I want to get it to work better.

「I think it’s better to learn the proper techniques somewhere else Sword fighting, martial arts, etc. I wonder if I should join some kind of dojo like that.」

After cashing in the three oxen, I wandered around the city at random and thought about such things.

At this rate, I’ll be able to hunt even if I have to do a sloppy punch one of these days, and that’s just too uncool.

I think about various things while randomly walking around.

One of the passersbys was dressed in a magician-like outfit.

He is wearing a long robe and carrying a staff.

Magic, huh? Come to think of it, Armosso ate my magic. I guess you could say that was a skill.

「Come to think of it…」

Can’t I use …… magic?

☆

「As it turns out, it’s possible.」

I’m already familiar with Salamus.

When I visited the Trading Company and told him that I wanted to use magic if I could, he said yes.

He knows a lot of things I don’t know, so he’s very helpful.

「Really?」

「Yes. Basically, as long as you are human, you have magical power. It’s just a matter of whether or not there is enough of it, and whether or not it can be successfully used as magic.」

「Everyone?　No exceptions?」

「None. Sometimes it’s too weak to be of practical use, though.」

「Huh.」

「Would you like to take an examination?　You won’t be able to use it right away, but there is a way to quickly check how much magic you have.」

「Can we do it here?」

「I’ll be with you in a moment.」

Salamus withdrew to the back of the store. After a while, he came back with a crystal ball.

He placed it on the counter and said.

「This is the tool to do it. If you touch it with your palm open in this way…」

The crystal ball was transparent, but as soon as Salamus touched it, the center began to glow.

The light was like a miniature light bulb, wavering feebly, as if it was about to go out.

「Sorry if I’m out of line, but …… does this mean you’re pretty weak?」

I asked him just what I intuitively felt.

「Yes, sir. I have no talent for magic, I’m afraid. Well, the best I can do is to use magic to verify the authenticity of the royal crest.

「Oh, I see.」

I remember the soldiers doing this when we first entered the city.

「Do I have to just touch this?　Do I need to do anything else?」

「No, sir. If you touch it, it will be discernible. That’s what that article does.」

「Got it.」

I placed the palm of my hand on the crystal ball.

A moment later, the same light began to glow from the center.

White light, so blinding that it was hard to look directly at it.

It spread explosively – and the crystal ball exploded.

The crystal ball shattered and crumbled into pieces. Debris scattered around the room.

「Th, this is …….」

「Let’s see ……, what does this mean?」

「I’ll be with you in a moment.」

Salamus retreated once more to the back and brought out a larger crystal ball.

「Here we go, let’s try this again.」

Was there some kind of malfunction or was it defective?

I put my palm over the large crystal ball, thinking about this.

The center began to glow, and a dazzling white light spread out – this was the same as before, only this time it glowed and did not explode.

「This shade is …… or …….」

「What the hell is going on?」

「That’s a lot of magic, sir.」

Salamus said with a hint of admiration.

「A rough estimate would be a hundred times the size of the average adult male. …… Oh, dear.」

「A hundred times. That’s about right.」

The result was subtly disappointing.

The skill I received before I came here was 「777 times all abilities」.　If the result is a hundred times higher than normal, it means the original is quite low.

…… No, it’s not like that if you think about it. It would be strange if I, a Japanese person, had enough magical power to use magic normally.

If you told me that the original was zero and multiplied by 777, it would still be zero, I would normally agree.

Yeah, that makes sense.

I was satisfied with that, but Salamus was looking at me with a strange look on his face.

He looks surprised and respectful.　His face looks surprised and respectful.

「Indeed, as expected of Yuuki-sama, I underestimated you. I didn’t think you had the power of a court-ranked magician in magic as well.」

「I have enough magic power to use it, right?　So how do I actually use it?」

「There are two ways to do that. One is to get a proper teacher to help you determine what magic you are good at and learn that. It’s the correct method.」

「I guess. What’s the other one?」

「It is limited to offensive magic, but if the magic you actually absorb in your body is something you are gifted with, you will naturally learn to use it. However, this is the most dangerous way to go, because it is hazardous to your life…」

Salamus said, frowning.

Well, I mean ……, which you can use if you absorb it.

I held up my hand and did it somewhat gingerly.

「I’m pretty sure it was fire magic that I got from Almosso…」

A fireball came out of my palm.

Oh, I could use some magic. I see… I’ll just have to absorb it once somewhere.

If that’s the case, I don’t need to go out of my way to learn it, because I’ll gradually learn to use it.

But magic, huh?

If I can use fire magic, I’d like to learn ice magic next, if possible.

For example, I could make a flame with my left hand and ice with my right hand like this.

「Oh!　And ice magic. As expected of Yuki-sama.」

　Salamus said, but I was surprised.

How come I can use ice magic?

☆

「Master!!!」

When I came home, Miu suddenly hugged me with tears in her eyes.

「What’s the matter, Miu? Welcome back, Fluffying…」

「Master!　Master!」

Miu clung to me for dear life. She’s very frantic and her body is shaking.

「What’s the matter?」

「It, it came out.」

「What is it?」

「It came out!」

「As I asked before, what came out?」

「Uuuu……」

She buries her face in my shoulder and clings to me.

What on earth did she say just came out?

A rat? Or a G (C – cockroach)？

She’s a girl, so it could go either way.

Snap!　I heard the sound of something bursting.

「Hiiiii!」

Miu was terrified. The cause seemed to be this sound.

I looked in the direction of the sound. I hear it from the mansion.

The dry sound of cracking – a rapping noise.

「Oh, I see. Come to think of it, this place is haunted, isn’t it?」

「Eeeeeeeeeeeehh! Master……」

Miu looks like she’s about to start crying.

「Sorry, sorry, I forgot to tell you. I mean, I plain forgot.」

But yeah, it really was a haunted house. I’ve been having such a normal day that I forgot all about it.

I’m fine with it (no real harm done), but if Miu is like this, we’d better do something about it.

I look at the mansion, and think. Now, what to do, I wondered.

「Nnn? It lit up for a second…」

Before I could say anything else, the mansion unleashed a blast of ice magic.

A number of arrows made of ice appeared and flew at me.

I knock them down.

The mansion fired another ice arrow at me.

「It’s amazing. It’s like a fortress.」

It was kind of fun and I was getting excited.

Previous|TOC|Next

「I’m just going to come out and say it.」

Salamus said.

「Are you sure you want to do this? I mean──」

「I like her!　I want this girl!」

I told him clearly.

「How much?　What’s the procedure?　When can she come to my house?」

「Haa, fine, if you’re okay with this, Yuki-sama, then so be it.」

Salamus coughed and rearranged his expression.

「From this moment on, she belongs to you, Yuki-sama. Please take her home. We’ll take care of it for you. The invoice will be sent to you at a later date, and you can pay at your convenience.」

「Oh, yeah?!　Thanks!」

I was overjoyed and took her home with me.

　I later found out that Salamus was very accommodating to me at this time.

He was trying to sell me a favor. To me, who is connected to the princess.

However, I was so excited at the time that I didn’t notice it.

☆

Back at home, me and the beast girl enter the living room.

I look at her once again.

First of all, she’s earth-shatteringly cute. She is so cute that if she were an idol, she would publicly execute one co-star after another.

It’s cute, of course, but most of all, I like what’s attached to her head and butt.

Ears and a tail.

Fluffy ears and a tail.

Fluffy, I want to fluffy, fluff her.

Fluff, fluff, fu luuuufffffff──。

Uu, ummm……」

「Haaaa! I feel like I’m prancing through fresh, virgin snow on a vacant lot!」

The girl called out to me and I came back to reality just in time to see her.

Once again, I look at her.

The girl looked at me with a bit of trepidation.

This is bad, maybe I scared her.

I smiled and said to her.

「Let’s start by introducing ourselves. I’m Yuuki, Yuuki Kakeru, and you are…」

「My name is Miu Mi Myu.」

「Miu. Yeah, that’s a good name. I’ll call you Miu, you call me Master.」

「I, I understand.」

Miu nodded cautiously.

「And so, Master. What am I supposed to do?」

「Yeah?　What do you mean, what do you need me to do?」

「Your work ……」

She was still a little frightened and asked me if I was in a good mood.

「Un, is that so……」

I thought to myself.

There are many things I would like to have a maid do for me, a few things I have always dreamed of.

Ear scratching, massages, and “Food, Become ☆ Delicious!”

There’s a lot of things, a lot of things – and it all blew up in my mind.

「And, Fluffing.」

「Fl, fluffing?!」

「Yes, Fluffing.」

I said. I clenched my fists and spoke forcefully.

Miu held her ears ── her animal ears down with her hands.

Cute, cute, cute!

Cute, too cute, what a lovely creature.

I want to fluff!　I want to get fluffing!

「All right, let’s go to bed!」

「EEehh──Hhiiyyaaa!」

I pulled Miu’s hand and started walking. A little forcefully, as if you were taking her around.

The goal was of course to get to the bedroom, the room with the big bed.

「Ma, Master, wait a minute, please.」

「Yes?」

「Why the bed? You can get your fluffy on in the room we just left.」

「What are you saying?」

I said out loud.

「Of course you’re going to snuggle with me after fluffing.」

「So, are we sleeping together?」

「Yes, snuggling. Fluffing and cuddling. It’s basic, it’s deep, it’s the greatest!」

「I’ve never heard of such a thing. ……」

In the meantime, I was in my bedroom.

With Miu’s hand in mine, we dive into the bed together.

「Fluffyー」

「Kuuun」

Miu let out a distressed sound as she squirmed against me on the bed.

I didn’t care about that, and I was thoroughly fluffed out.

When I woke up, it was evening.

The setting sun shining through the large window was dazzling, so I shaded my eyes with my hands.

When that stopped the glare, I could see Miu.

I’m almost lying on my stomach, and Miu is curled up in a little ball sleeping beside me.

　I can’t believe how small the human body can be! She is curled up into a small tight ball and sleeping.

「Cat in a pot……」

Of course not, but it reminded me of that somehow.

That’s how cute she was.

「Munya……」

I heard her talking in her sleep, and her tail wagged on the sheets.

She was so cute, I tugged on her ears.

She cowered a bit, wriggled and curled up more.

After the fluffing, I enjoyed the tweaking.

☆

Dining room at night.

「Yes!　Yummy, yummy, yummy!」

I was eating the food that Miu had prepared.

By the way, Miu has changed into a maid’s uniform.

Not the one from this house, but the maid’s uniform she brought with her. It’s a special maid’s uniform with a hole for her tail.

The food she made in her maid’s outfit was very delicious.

「Really?」

「Aaah, it’s really good.」

「I’m glad …… taught me how to cook, but I was always upset that the seasoning was too strong, so I thought it would be okay. It’s normal for my taste buds. ……」

「Yeah, it’s a little rich, if you ask me, but it’s fine.」

Compared to my old diet, which consisted of three main seasonings: soy sauce, ketchup, and mayonnaise, this is not as rich as it should be. It’s rather strong and just right for my taste.

「Yes, it’s still delicious. I’m totally fine with this much flavor, so I’ll leave all the cooking to Miu. Oh yeah, I’ll give you the money later. Miu can do all the shopping and stuff.」

「Okay!　I’ll make lots and lots of delicious food.」

「Oh, and do the housework for now, too. Let me know if you don’t get around to it. I’ll figure something out.」

「Yes!　I understand.」

「Other than that there’s fluffing」

「Hau」

「That’s it for the time being…… that’s right」

I thought about it.

「Fluffy in the morning, Fluffy when I leave, and Fluffy when I come back. Those three things are mandatory, okay?」

「I, I understand……」

Unlike when we talked about cooking and housework, Miu got a little teary-eyed.

That was cute, and I wanted to fluff her up a bit more.

☆

The next day, a meadow of mountain oxen.

As I looked around for the mountain ox, I was thinking about things.

Like mountain ox hunting, and when we defeated Armosso and his men.

All of them were easy wins, if you can call them easy wins, but they were not smart wins.

I just forced myself to win by force.

It’s like an action RPG, where the character is at the highest level, so it’s easy to win, but the player is terrible at the controls.

That’s how it feels like.

「I need to learn how to use my powers better.」

That’s what I thought, and I thought of all the things I could do.

As I was walking, I came across a mountain ox.

「Well…… let’s get to it」

I snap my fingers and make my way to the mountain ox.

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I looked around the room and took a piece of paper and a pen.

I tore a piece of paper into the size of a rectangle, wrote 「1000」 on it, and handed it to Princess Iris.

「What’s this?」

Couldn’t we put a coat of arms here, like the one on this fan?　With magic.」

「…… What do you mean?」

「That means it was issued by royalty. And we’ll use this as our new currency.」

The point is, it’s paper money, I said.

「……？」

「Only royalty can grant the crest, and if it is applied consciously, it will remain with it long after the person passes.」

「Hmm」

「In other words, this will be a currency that no one will be able to counterfeit and that will not be worth the risk.」

「Oh, I see.」

「You’re disrespectful! You bastard!」

One of the knights lined up against the wall, the one who introduced Princess Iris to me, yelled at me when I entered the room.

「Items with the royal coat of arms are used as bestowal gifts. It’s how we’ve maintained our authority since the founding of our country!　You can’t just throw it around the country as money ……!　Bastard, you have recived an item from her Highness Helene, you should be aware of the weight of it!」

It’s about the fan.

　I’m certainly glad that Princess Helene gave it to me, but I don’t think it has anything to do with her crest.

I looked at the man, Knight.

He is a hard-headed man who seems to be very serious.

He’s angry, but he doesn’t mean to offend, he’s just stubborn.

…… That’s even more of a hassle, though.

I thought of a way to convince him.

「That’s fine.」

Princess Iris spoke up first.

「Your Highness?」

「Kakeru, you’ve taught me a good lesson. Hmm, why didn’t I think of that before?」

「Are you sure, Your Highness?　You can’t do that. It would be a disgrace to the royal family──」

「The country will be stable.」

Iris said decisively.

「It’s impossible to counterfeit, it’s not that you can’t see the benefit of that, right?」

「B,but…」

「The money will be stable. Surplus silver and copper can be used as resources. And besides.」

Iris laughed.

Not exactly what I was expecting, but an excited smile.

This is pretty, beautiful.

「It will make business easier. One piece of paper is worth a thousand copper coins. It would be especially useful for peddlers. Until now, we’ve been carrying heavy currency and using bills that are only guaranteed by the merchant houses. With this, bill can be used with confidence that it has the backing of the country and business can be done with peace of mind.」

「……」

The knight fell silent.

He’ s just sincere, not stupid.

He immediately realized how great the benefits of what Princess Iris had just told him were.

But this also breaks the rules.

In the real world, all countries are fighting against counterfeiting of paper money, and that’s why they are packing them with anti-counterfeiting technology.

The higher the technology and trust, the more stable the value of the banknote.

「Isn’t that magic reserved for royalty?」

Ahh, yeah only royalty from the direct lineage.」

「Then it’s impossible to fake.」

「First of all, it’s completely impossible.」

Princess Iris asserts. It’s definately breaking the rules.

　Uncounterfeitable paper money is a cheat.

Compared to that, my idea …… of an idea that came out of living in my previous world seemed unimportant.

That’s what I thought.

「Thank you, Kakeru.」

Princess Iris said. Then …… she smiled and chuckled.

「──！」

It was the smile I had been expecting.

Not「Fu……」or 「Ha」.

Her smile is soft and gentle, almost stealing my soul and spirit.

「You’ve taught me well. I’ll make sure to thank you for this.」

Definitely.

Princess Iris smiled and said those words over and over again.

☆

My home.

I was in a daze in the living room.

I sat down on the couch and remembered Princess Iris’ smile.

I remember, I ruminate, and I swoon.

I felt in a really, really good mood.

As I was ruminating on it, I heard a sound: Kaka, Kaka, Kaka.

It was the sound of a door knocker on the front door.

「I’m sorry, is anyone here?」

Along with the sound of the door knocker, I could hear a boy’s voice.

He was shouting through the door, but it was pretty quiet. If my hearing was not good enough, I would have missed it.

I got up and headed for the door. When I opened the door, I saw a boy standing there, dressed in a modest outfit.

「Is that you, Yuuki Kakeru-sama?」

「Aahh」

「The Master has a message for you. He has found the maid, and he said to come by the store anytime.」

「Master?　Maid…… ah, Salamus-san?」

「Yes!」

「I understand. Thank you.」

When I walked into the Salamus Trading Company, I was greeted by Salamus-san, whose lower belly still prominently displayed.

「Nice to see you, welcome.」

His appearance hasn’t changed, but I wonder, is he in a better mood than ever?

He smiles so much, it’s a bit of a fixed dumb grin.

「Did something good happen?」

No, no, no. I’ve heard rumors that you’ve already solved the case. Well, the lack of copper coins is something we’ve been struggling with as well.」

「Oh, that’s what you mean.」

「I had predicted that you had some kind of important mission since you had Her Highness’ fan, but I didn’t expect the rumors to start so soon. I’m sure that’s what Yuuki-sama is all about.」

Salamus flattered me as much as he could.

It felt good, but a little weird.

「More importantly, I heard you found the maid.」

「Yes, I managed to lay my eyes on one.」

「Eyes?」

「You said you wanted a slave maid who could do the job, but I didn’t know what more you wanted, so I picked up three.」

「Three people.」

「All of them are able to work, all of them are slaves. All you have to do is choose.」

「I see.」

You’re asking me to choose between the three of them.

　It’s certainly not a bad idea. I feel like I’ve made my choice if I have a choice rather than being forced to choose one person.

「Then I’ll have them enter the room one by one.」

「OK」

Nodding, Salamus clapped his hands.

The door opened quickly and the first person walked in.

She was a beautiful woman in her late twenties. She was calm and soothing.

She was the head maid at her previous place, but they made her stop because she was replaced.

She’ s a nice person, seems to do her job well.

The second person was a little younger, a woman of about twenty. This one was a cute and friendly girl who seemed to enjoy talking to me.

She said she had never worked before, but she was a very good cook and could do all the housework because she had been taught properly.

　This one’s not so bad.

And the third one.

As soon as she opened the door and walked in.

「This girl!」

I quickly stood up.

「Yuuki-sama?」

「I want this girl!　I want her.」

The moment I saw her, I knew she was the only one for me.

She’ s cute and beautiful.

Best of all.

「I’m a beastman. Are you sure you want to go to ……?」

That was the decisive factor.

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「Seize that guy!」

Armosso orders the dumbfounded soldiers. The three who had come to their senses attacked me at once.

I grabbed the tip of the spearhead and snapped it off.

I hit them all as hard as I could. Just with a punch.

The soldiers are blown away and slam into the wall, knocked out.

「Hey… somebody!　Is anyone out there?」

Armosso shouted out loud.

He shouted in a strained voice, at his wits end.

There was a thump, thump, thump of wild footsteps approached and then three more came.

「It’s an intruder──no, an assassin. Kill him this instant!」

「Yes!」

The soldiers followed his command and attacked me.

These guys were just following orders, so I took it easy on them and just punched them and knocked them out.

After that, reinforcements came twice more, but I defeated them all.

「Well, that’s it. Now, it’s just you.」

「E──Eat this!」

Armosso took out what looked like a wand and pointed it at me.

Instantly, flames burst forth and enveloped my body.

Hot.

It was hot, but not unbearably so.

The flames quickly dissipated. My clothes got burned quite a bit, but my body (and my hair) are fine.

「What the ──, the magic doesn’t work on you?

「Does this mean my heat tolerance is 777 times higher?　Well, that doesn’t matter right now.」

　I glared at Armosso.

I took a step forward and punched him in the side of the head.

He drilled through the air, bounced on the floor then went limp.

He seems to be breathing, but he seems to be out cold.

「Now, what should I do?」

I thought for a moment and looked around.

I saw one of the soldiers tying to stand up. The guy is sitting on the floor, trying to back away from me.

「Oi, bastard.」

「Hii! Don’t kill me!」

「…… If you do what I’m about to tell you, I’ll let you live.」

I couldn’t be bothered to clear up the misunderstanding, so I decided to just go along with the misconception.

In the room after the battle, I took a pen from among the scattered things and threw it to the soldier.

「Write down what I’ about to say.」

「Of what…… and where……」

「Wait a minute.」

Using the rope that had been used to restrain me (the handcuffs were crushed and no longer usable), I tied up Armosso.

Then I rip off his clothes and strip his upper body bare.

「Write it down here. I am the culprit behind the shortage of copper coins. I was selling off the copper by melting it down.」

「Eh? W, well that’s」

「Just write it down or I’ll kill you!」

After a bit of threatening, the soldier did as he was told, and wrote the words I told him to on the upper half of Armosso’s body.

After tying up Almosso, I carried him on my back and raided the enemy hideout.

There were five men with suspicious looks, and at first they were ranting about what was going on, but as soon as they realized that I was carrying an Armosso, they understood everything and attacked me with weapons.

I defeated all of them.

I took them down and tied them up together.

I dragged Almosso and five of his accomplices, to a square in the center of the city.

I’m going to crucify them there.

I tried to draw Princess Helene’s coat of arms with the pen I had brought as a finishing touch.

「AAah! It’s too complicated!」

It was difficult to draw a coat of arms that looked authentic. I couldn’t draw it in one attempt, so I scrubbed it out and wrote 「777」 instead.

In the meantime, onlookers gathered.

「I’m the one responsible for the copper coin shortage. ……?　Copper?!」

「It can’t be, Armosso-sama?」

「No, he’d do it!　Since Almosso, the fees for recasting have gone up tremendously. He’s one hell of a money-grubber.」

「But melting money is a felony punishable by death.」

「People like that don’t think about the future, all they care about is making money.」

The onlookers were arguing among themselves.

People are slowly gathering and the noise is getting louder.

When I consciously picked up what they were saying with my ears, I found that they were frustrated from the start, and the loudest voices were 「he’d do it」 and 「I knew he’d do it someday」.

「I know that guy!　He used to exchange copper coins for silver coins.」

「I exchanged money with this guy. On my way to take it to get re-minted. I exchanged money my because it was cheap compared to the commission ……but」

I also heard those kind of comments.

The combination of these factors makes Almosso’s guilt a definitive one.

The next day, I was summoned to the city office.

What waited for me there was a woman wearing a very expensive armor that looked more expensive than a knight’s armor.

There were several knights besides the woman, and one of them said.

「In the presence of Her Highness Iris Teresa Mercouri, your head is raised…」

「That’s fine.」

Iris reached out a hand and stopped the knight.

There’s no point in wielding authority here. I’m more interested in hearing what he has to say.」

「Well……I got a question too. Are you Princess Helene’s ……?」

「I’m her younger sister, Iris.」

「As I thought!」

I thought to myself.

Their names are almost the same, and most importantly, they look very similar.

Princess Helene is ladylike, and this girl is dignified and noble.

They are complete opposites, but they look so much alike that you can tell they are sisters even at a glance, from their brows to their mouths.

「And you are?」

「Uh, I’m Yuuki, Yuuki Kakeru.」

「Kakeru, is it? I have a few questions. That’s the first thing.」

Princess Iris pointed at my waist. Hanging there is the fan that Princess Helene gave me.

「Oh, yeah. I got it from Princess Helene.」

I take it out and show it to Princess Iris.

Iris took it and looked at it closely.

「It’s definitely my older sister’s property, and she gave it to you.」

「Eh? How can you possibly know that?」

「The royal crest requires the use of special magic to maintain it after it leaves our hands. If it’s something you’ve stolen, it’ll be gone in half a day.」

「Oh, that’s how it works.」

「Sorry, I wanted to ask you about this first because there was a possibility that you were an imposter.」

「…… Well, actually, that’s not quite wrong.」

「What is?」

Princess Iris frowns. I explained everything to her.

How I saved Princess Helene, and how I received a fan.

The fact that I happened to be at the scene of a crime and wanted to do something about it, so I told them that I worked for Princess Helene.

I told her all about it.

「I see, that’s what you meant. This solves one more mystery. I’ve always wondered why my sister, who spends so much time on military matters, intervened in monetary matters.」

「I’m sorry.」

　I sort of apologized.

「It’s a small matter before a major one. Besides, fufu」

Iris giggled.

She had a stern look on her face ever since we met, but she smiled for the first time.

Her smile is so beautiful and innocent, I can’t help but admire it.

「It’s true that you used it without permission, but not for personal gain. The result indirectly proves my older sister’s ability to evaluate people.」

「Oh, yeah.」

「But, haaaah……」

「What’s the matter?」

「No, something similar has been happening here lately. There was no end to the number of people who tried to make money by melting down coins and selling them as raw materials. I’ve been trying to put them in jail as soon as I find them, but it’s not going to stop.」

「Are you sure there’s nothing else you can do?」

「Of course I have. Lowering the ratio of copper, for example. However, doing so would raise suspicions of a decline in national power, which would affect the country’s prestige.」

「I see. It’s difficult.,huh.」

　It looks like a very difficult problem.

A problem that seems to be out of the control of 777 times the power.

(If I find it again, I’ll crush it.)

I put the fan back in my pocket.

Instantly, a light went off in my head.

I had ── an epiphany.

「Princess Iris.」

「What is it?」

「Maybe …… there’s a way to make it work.」

「Well, let’s hear it.」

Princess Iris looked at me as if to say that she didn’t expect much and that there was no such solution.

If all went well, her face might even turn to one of joy.

I said what came to me, hoping for the best.

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